On Thursday, Jürgen Klopp will announce his first squad for the German national football team. The new national coach has four international matches within two weeks. It will be interesting to see who the 59-year-old will appoint. When he was introduced as Julian Nagelsmann's successor at the end of July, he said that players would be given opportunities "who don't even expect it. Because I like to be courageous. I always have been that way and I will remain that way. I looked at 57 outfield players."
As far as the goalkeepers are concerned, Klopp didn't give anything away at the time. But after the resignation of Manuel Neuer, who returned to the German goal for the World Cup, the cards will definitely be reshuffled with regard to number one. Before Neuer's comeback, Oliver Baumann (1899 Hoffenheim) was in goal.
Now everything is open again. But two German keepers are currently in position, such as Alexander Nübel, who has been in impressive form since moving to Besiktas Istanbul in the summer. At the start of the fifth matchday of the Turkish Süper Lig, Nübel once again failed to concede a goal on Friday evening. With the 3-0 (2-0) against Erzurumspor, he and Besiktas temporarily took the lead in the table after their fourth win in the fifth game. But Loris Karius, the Schalke 04 keeper, was also in brilliant form on Friday evening. In the 3-1 win against Union Berlin he was once again “Man of the Match”, just like he was a week earlier in the 0-0 draw against FC Bayern.
“I am very satisfied,” says Nübel
"The location of our stadium is really great. Playing with these fans and in this atmosphere is great fun," said Nübel to beIN Sports after the game with Besiktas. Besiktas acted with concentration and maintained this attitude from the first minute. "Winning 3-0 and not conceding a goal feels good. I'm very happy with our performance."
In his eleventh competitive game for Besiktas, Nübel kept a clean sheet for the seventh time. In the league he only conceded four goals in the first five games. There is great praise for him in Turkey - he is celebrated online with some funny memes. There are pictures in which he can be seen leaning against the post or preparing bratwursts on a grill, based on his sometimes busy game.
Nübel moved from FC Schalke 04 to FC Bayern in 2020. Because he had no chance of playing there behind Manuel Neuer, he moved to AS Monaco on loan from 2021 to 2023. He then went to VfB Stuttgart, also on loan. He then joined Besiktas Istanbul that summer. The Turkish club reportedly paid a transfer fee of five million euros.
Nübel was part of the German national team's World Cup squad in the summer. He was number three behind Manuel Neuer and Oliver Baumann at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. He was not used.
The 29-year-old Nübel has made three international appearances so far – three more than Loris Karius. "If people associate me with that, then it's an award for the performance I bring. That's great," said the Schalke goalkeeper when asked about the DFB rumors on "Sky" after the win at Union Berlin. "But everything else isn't my responsibility. I just carry on." However, he has not yet had any contact with Klopp. “I don’t judge anything realistic or unrealistic,” Karius clarified.
It is not yet known how Klopp feels about Karius. Both know each other from their time together at Liverpool FC. When the Premier League club lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid 3-1 in 2018, Klopp was coach and Karius was in goal. In the final, the goalkeeper made two game-winning mistakes.
Schalke captain has wishes for Klopp
Schalke captain Kenan Karaman raved about his teammate after the victory at Union and clearly spoke out in favor of a DFB nomination. "I would like Jürgen to invite Loris. When he is needed, he is always there," said the offensive player. If Karius consistently shows the kind of performances he did against Bayern and Union, “there’s no getting around it.”
Robin Gosens also agreed after the victory at Union: "I have a clear opinion on that. I would begrudge him that with all my heart because I know how important it would be to him and also what he puts in to help us every day. How he saves our asses," said Gosens, who has not yet put his DFB career behind him. “As long as no one tells me: ‘Stop dreaming, it doesn’t make sense anymore’, I will continue to believe in it.”
